Automobile direction-signal



W. S HARRlS W. CRONAN AND F. l. JACKSON.

AUTOMOBILE DIRECTION SIGNAL.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 15. I92].

Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

' 177' TOR/V5 V W. S. HARRIS, W. CRONAN AND F. l. JACKSON.

AUTQMOBILE DIRECT ION SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I5. 1921.

1,891,954. Patentedsept- 27, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

/7 //v VE/VTORS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M43315, WILLIAM CRONAN, AND FRANK I.--J'AOKSON, F BREMERTON,

WASHINGTON.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM S.

WILLIAM CRONAN, and FRANK I. JAoKsoN,

citizens of the United States, residing atis the provision of a device of this character readily infonn-pedestrians or drivers of 7 stop or turn V I lar isosceles triangular blades 21 which are panying drawings, in which+ I plan view of the same, parts being omitted and the casing shown in horizontal sections 25.

by means of which the driver of a car may other vehicles his intention to to one side or the other.

The invention is illustrated in the accom- Figure-1 is a view in rear elevation shown partly in section of a direction signal embodying our invention, a portion of-the casing being removed. Fig. 2 is an underside Fig. 3 is a, rear elevation of the device,.the arrow head being shown in a different indicative position from which-it is illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. ,4 is a detail sectional view through 4.--4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a rear elevationalview of the device shown applied. Fig. 6 is a sectional view through 66 of Fig.1. Fig. 7 is a sectional view through 77 of Fig. 2. a

In said drawings, the reference numeral 10 represents a casing having adajacent to its inner end an attachment, designatedgenerally'by 11 (Fig. 2) by which it may be secured in a horizontal position to the frame front wall of-the casing.

12of an automobile windshield as represented in Fig. 5. I

-, Said casing, as illustrated, consists of two members 13 and 14 whereof the member 13 is substantially. plane. and constitutes the The. other casing member 14 of substantially the form in which it is shown in the drawingsis sepa rably connected to the member 13 by having marginal'flanges 14 which at one end of the member engage withingrooves provided therefor in the other member 13 as by. turning the edges 13? fof the same as shown in Figs. 1 and 4E... The other or inner end of the removable member 14 is secured to the corresponding part of the member'13 by screws 15.

The casing member 13 extends'as an arm AUTOMOBILE DIRECTION-SIGNAL.

' Specification of Letters Yatent. Patented Sept, 2'7, 1921 Application filed. Mar'ch 15, 1921.. Seri l N0. 452,579.

shown in Fig. 6. Said plates and bolts constitute a frame which, it will benoted, is connected by the pin 17. to said arm for rotary movements.

The bolts 20 .are rigidly secured to and .;serve as pivotal supports for a pair of simiarranged as shown in Fig. 1.

Said blades are operatively connected with each other by means of interengaging gear teethliO so that when the opposing equicrural sides. as 22 or 28, of the respective blades are brought together the angles 22 and 23 will cooperatively producethe points of an arrow like heads. i

Rigidly secured totherespective bolts 20 are sector tooth-gears 24. in mesh with rackq teeth 25 prorided in the opposite edges of a tail rod 26; This rod 26 ispivotally connected at 27 with the arm 28 of a lever which extends into the casing.

Said lever is fulcrumed at29to bar 30 slidable longitudinally in a guide way 31 Se cured to thei-front wall of the. casing The bar30 is formed with back teeth 30 engaging teeth of a sector gear 81 secured to .the

spindle 32 upon which is an operatingwheel 33 exteriorly of the casing. I

34 represents a plate-spring connection to the bar 30 and acts against thelever arm 28 to yieldingly retain said lever in a horizontal position by causing straight edge 35/ of the ,1

other arm 28 of thelever to bear against a roller 36 mounted upon a stud which is secured to the casing arm 16;

The roller 36 alsov serveswhen engaged by a cam projection 37 of lever arm 28 to, tilt the latter downwardly in opposition to the spring 34. I

The operation of the invention so far de scribed is as follows: i i

By rotating the wheel 33 or the otherthe sector gear 31 imparts endwise movement to the bar 30 toward the right :or left as may be requisiteto cause the arrow head to assume a position indicative of the drivers intention to turn the in one direction the relative positions of the arrow head parts vehicle to the right or left, or into a stop pivotally connected tosaid @ing, a frame signal position. a connected to said rod, a pair of triangular Assuming the blades 21 occupy their norplates pivotally connected to said frame and mal positions in which they are represented operatively' connected to said plates, a bar in Fig. 5, by rotating the wheel 33 clockmovable longitudinally thereof in said caswise the sector gear .31 acts through the ing, a lever fulcrumed to said bar, one end medium of the bar 30 and lever arm 28 to of said lever being pivotally connected to move the tail rod 26 toward the right said rod, a spring carried by said bar and whereby the rack teeth of the latter acting tending to maintain said lever in parallel through the medium of sector gears 28 and -relations with said bar, and means to impivot pins 20 cause the plates 21 tobe' part longitudinal movements to said bar brought into the position in whichthey are whereby said lever, and rod influence said represented by full lines in Fig. 1. Being plates to afford direction indicative posithus disposed the plates 21 cooperate to aftions thereto.

ford an arrow head pointing toward the left 2. In apparatus of the class described, a hand. To convert the plates into a rightsupporting element adapted to be secured hand pointing arrow head, as indicated by at a side of an automobile, a frame pivotally dotted lines 21 in Fig. 1, the operator turns connected to said element, a pair of subthe wheel 33 contra-clockwise to accordingly stantially triangular plates pivoted interme move the plates 21 through the instrun1en-' diate their lengths to said frame at diamettality of the bar 80, lever arm 28 and tail .rically opposite sides'of the pivotal connec rod 22 which are shifted toward the left. tion of the frame to said supporting ele- With the arrow head thus arranged, or ment, a bar movable longitudinally in said pointing toward the right, to cause the arsupporting element, operative connections row head-to be directed downwardly as in between said bar and said plates, andmeans Fig. 3, the bar 30 and associated parts above to impart axial movements to said bar referred to are still further moved toward whereby said plates are adjusted to cause the left thereby having the cam projection said plates to act as an arrow-head and to' 37 engage the roller 36' to push the lever arm selectively point the same toward the right,-

28 downwardly. As this occurs the pivot left or downwardly. 27 is moved out of dead center and the '3. In apparatus of the class described, a continued left hand travel of the bar and supporting element adapted to be secured lever acting through the tail rod 26, as a at a side 04? an automobile, and a signaling crank, rotates the blade carrying frame element comprising a, pair of substantially about the axis of the pin 17. triangular plates connected "to said support- An extensible spring 41 is advantageously ing element, reciprocatory means provided employed to obvaite rattle between the movin said supporting element operatively conable and stationary parts of the device in nected to said plates, and means for actuatproximity of the arrow head. 42 represents ing the aforesaid means to cause said plates a pointer carried by the 30 and extend-' to be oscillated selectively into right and left ing through a slot 43 of the casing member hand indicating directions, said second 14 for indicating with referefic to a scale of named means also serving to revolubly carry marks denoted by S, R, N and FL said plates into a stop indicating position.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a with respect to each other and tothe casing. supporting element adapted to be secured Provided in the invention are means for at a side of an automobile, and a signaling illuminating the signal for night driving, element comprising a frame rotatably consuch illuminating means comprising an elecnected'to saidsupporting element, a pair of tric lamp 44 providedwithin a reflector 45 substantially triangular plates pivotally supwhich is secured to or formed integral with ported in said frame and operatively 'conthe casing member 14. Said lamp is inan nected with each other, and means for reguelectric circuit. one lead 46 of which may lating the positions of said'plates to afford be grounded through the casing, the other an 'arrow head to point toward the right or lead 47 includes a term1nal48 having a series left hands selectively, said means also serv-- of contacts 49 which are arranged to be en-' ing to-rotate said frame to transpose the gaged by a complementary terminal 50 plates into stop indicative positions.

which is carriedby the bar 30 when the latter is shifted into its various predetermined positions controlling the arrow head. Forday signaling the current may be cut out by a switch 51 of any suitable type? What we claim, is,

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing, means for securing the same at a side of an automobile, a rod Signed at Bremerton, Washington, this 26th day of February, 1921'.

WILLIAM s. HARRIS. A WILLIAM A CRONAN- FRANK I. JACKSON.

Witnesses RICHARD G. COOK, H. E, WILSON. 

